The field of art to which this invention pertains is polymers derived from polyepoxide resins and fatty acids.
Coating compositions made from epoxy esters are well known compositions which have been used industrially and in home maintenance for many years. Epoxy esters are made by reacting a polymeric epoxy resin, which contains both epoxy groups and hydroxyl groups, with fatty acids. In some instances, the polymeric epoxy resin is made "in situ" by the reaction of a low molecular weight diepoxide with a dihydric phenol. Epoxy esters are described in a large number of patents, examples of which are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,456,408; 2,493,386; 2,698,308 and 3,247,136.
In formulating epoxy esters into coating compositions, the esters are usually dissolved in an organic solvent at a resin solids content of 50 weight percent or less. Due to environmental concerns, there is a continuing effort to decrease the amount of solvent released to the atmosphere by increasing the solids content of coating composition.